Austrian Physicists Protest CERN Pull-out

Austrian physicists are protesting their nation's decision to withdraw from the CERN particle physics lab. The Austrian science minister, Johannes Hahn, announced last Thursday that Austria would cut its annual funding to CERN, worth approximately $27 million (20 million euros).

Austria's share of CERN's budget currently makes up just 2.2 percent, but that same amount represents 70 percent of Austria's funding for international research.

Pulling out of the 19-nation collaboration means that Austrian physicists won't get as much access to CERN's facilities, including the $8-billion Large Hadron Collider that began test operations last fall and is slated to come back online within months. Physicists hope the world's biggest atom smasher can help recreate conditions after the Big Bang and uncover more about mysteries such as dark matter.

The Austrian physicists have begun an online petition to reverse the decision, lest they miss out on future physics excitement. If atom-smashing still doesn't sound thrilling, check out the rap explanation below.